In a beautiful stretch of bush lived two little mice who were mates. One was called Whitey, because her ears were white, and the other was called Rosy, because her ears were pink. They were very cute, fluffy and quick. Their eyes were like two tiny black beads, sparkling and cheeky, and their tails were teeny-tiny and very neat.
But the two mates had completely different personalities. Whitey worked all day long, never sat still for a minute:
Why can't you just relax? You can't work all day, running around everywhere!
Rosy would laugh at her mate.
Don't you want to do something useful yourself?
The mouse replied.
Whitey knew that winter would come and finding food outside would be practically impossible. That's exactly why she was gathering supplies for herself. She collected nuts, mushrooms, and berries. In the ground she dug a burrow, insulated it with dry twigs and leaves, and lined it with soft moss.
In the cosy burrow was a little pantry, where Whitey stored all her supplies for winter, when the nasty cold wind would blow, when snow would cover everything around, and you couldn't find even a crumb of bread, a ripe berry or a seed. But the mouse would have everything — both food and a warm cosy burrow. What a clever little grey Whitey.
Crikey, Whitey! It's like you're preparing for a famine! How are you going to eat all that? You're so tiny! Or maybe you're just greedy and don't want anyone else to store up as much food?
Rosy continued to tease.
There's a cold winter and bitter frosts ahead, and we need to be ready!
Hard-working Whitey replied and kept on with her work.
Rosy just laughed. She was completely different. She ran around very quickly too, just as speedy and restless. But instead of storing food for winter, Rosy ran from flower to flower, sang cheerful catchy songs, danced, and sometimes did nothing at all, just daydreamed and gazed at the clouds that drifted over the bush like a waterfall. Another favourite pastime of Rosy's was chatting with the birds.
She'd lie down in the clearing and say:
Have you seen how Whitey fusses about, mates? Not a moment's peace, always going around collecting food, insulating her burrow with twigs, as if there aren't other interesting things to do!
But Rosy, why aren't you storing supplies for winter?
The birds were surprised.
I don't need much! When winter comes, I'll just run through the bush, quickly pick a berry and eat it, that'll be enough for me.
The mouse replied confidently.
So the hot summer flew by, and the rainy cold autumn arrived. Leaves began falling from the trees, berries also fell and dried up. It became harder and harder for Rosy to find food, and there was no suitable place for shelter either, everything around was wet and cold.
And soon the harsh winter arrived, cold, blizzardy, snowy and very frightening for such homeless creatures. Now Rosy sat all day in her cold uninsulated burrow, shivering from the cold and starving, she couldn't even imagine how she'd survive until the warm spring days.
What am I going to do? Where will I get food, how can I not freeze to death in this cold burrow?
Rosy cried.
And suddenly the mouse remembered her mate Whitey, who had stocked up on food for the whole winter and insulated her burrow with dry twigs and leaves. And Rosy decided to try her luck and ask for shelter for the winter. Though she didn't expect that Whitey would let her into her home.
Rosy runs along the snowy paths through the huge trees, and finally reached Whitey's burrow.
Mate, my dear Whitey, please let me in!
Rosy begged.
Blimey! Why are you all shrivelled up?
Whitey asked.
You were right when you told me in summer, but I didn't listen. I have no food and no warm home. I've got nothing to eat, there's not a berry in the bush, not a crumb of bread, not a seed, not a mushroom. And I never insulated my burrow, it's terribly cold there.
Of course, Whitey let her mate in, gave her hot herbal tea, fed her seeds with tasty berries, and tucked her in with a warm woollen blanket. And in the morning Whitey invited Rosy to live in her burrow.
So the mates lived together until spring. But from then on Rosy understood that you need to work hard, and next year to store food and prepare her home for the cold winter. That's how she learned that without hard work there's no good life.
